The Island
by WannaPlayKevinBacon
Summary: Sequal to The Zoo E.G. Reading this first will only confuse you. Problems only increase after escape from the zoo who will it bring together, and who will it tear apart? Rated for violence, gore and death just in case!
1. Med Scindo

I RETURN! Oh my God guys it's been a weird two weeks... I didn't get to go to Paris after all and I REALLY slacked off on this writing until like... this Sunday. Anyhow, I hope you guys like it as much as some of you liked the first one. Oh and PS, the site sort of hates my stories so it does weird things to some of my words; if there are any off the wall typos or insterted words let me know because sometimes it adds stuff. Thanks for reading!

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Snape squeezed his eyes shut as his heart leapt up into his throat; the entire front section of the plane had seemingly snapped off, and with it had gone Lupin, Lucius, Percy and presumably the Muggle pilots. Snape wanted to scowl at Sirius, call him a fool, but he didn't have the chance as the plane spun through the air. Both Wizards at the front of the plane found various hand and foot holds to hang on to, Snape keeping a secure one-arm hold on Tonks' waist, "We're going to be alright." He muttered when Tonks hid her face against his neck.

Near the back of the plane Hermione ignored the fear clamping down on her heart and leaned forward to touch Viktor's shoulder. He reached up and squeezed her hand; his knuckles were white and Hermione could feel the potentially dangerous muscles under his skin shift and tense. Two aisles ahead on the opposite side of the plane Draco was still struggling with his seatbelt; Hermione undid her own without even thinking and rushed to his aid. "Miss Granger get back to your-!" Snape started, unable to complete his sentence as the tail end of the plane broke off and the two students were gone with a violent rush of air.

Seconds later the sound of shredding metal and the force of impact overloaded the passenger's senses, leaving them in nothing but darkness.

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Snape sat up as soon as he woke; Tonks was still clung to him, and she stirred and sat up when he pushed her off gently, "Are you alright?"

"Yes." She said quietly, grabbing his hand when he started to stand, "Don't leave."

Snape knelt before her and took her hands, "You are going to be alright; I'll be back." He assured, leaning forward and giving her the first kiss he had willingly given up.

Tonks nodded as Snape rushed to the shoreline where Goyle and Viktor were struggling to remove their shoes and shirts; Viktor was panting as his one working lung struggled to support his current state. Snape put a hand on the Bulgarian's shoulder, "I'll go and get her."

Viktor shook his head and pulled his shirt over his head, exposing the ugly scar the Muggles had left when they'd removed the damaged lung tissue from the boy, "I will bring her back."

"You'll both die if you do."

Viktor nodded, eager to save Hermione, "She is far."

Snape looked out to where Draco and Hermione were floundering in the violent waves; Draco appeared to be losing his fight against the water, but Hermione was still treading water and shouting for help, "Sirius stay with the children!" Snape called back to the animangus, waiting for a response before he removed his shirt, kicking his shoes aside and running into the water only a yard behind Goyle as the large boy rushed to save his blonde lover.

The muscular boy was struggling against the waves but doing exceptionally well for someone Snape expected didn't really know how to swim. It had made sense _before_ all of this, not to teach any children that would possess magic to swim, but now it was an idiotic mistake to let children grow up so uneducated. Snape reached Hermione and she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding herself up for a moment before letting go, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, "I can float but Draco-"

Snape looked over to see Goyle break the surface holding Draco, whom was unconscious, back against him, "He's not breathing!"

"Go with Gregory." Snape said, swimming over and taking Draco, "I'll get him back."

"I think I can help." Hermione said, swimming with Goyle's assistance towards shore faster than Snape could while dragging Draco's limp form through the increasingly turbulent waters.

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Ginny gasped loudly as she sat up suddenly, a dull throbbing in her forehead caused her to shake her head before opening her eyes; she could smell saltwater, but this was no dream. Ginny noticed the blood before anything else, staining the almost white sand where she had lay; she took a breath and shrieked as though she were being murdered. Neville was at her side instantly, having been rushing to her ever since he himself had awaken on the beach, "What is it, Gin?!"

"The baby!" her voice so hoarse from her previous screams that it drove a screech to a choked whisper, "Oh God Neville, my _baby_!"

"Gin-"

"What am I going to do?! What are we-"

"GINNY!" Neville shouted, interrupting her hysteria.

Ginny jerked back as if Neville had slapped her, "What?"

"Don't move, alright?" he said, resting a hand in her left knee.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, crying out in pain when Neville quickly dislodged a shattered piece of glass from her inner thigh. Blood dripped down to his elbow as he stared at the jagged four-inch projectile that had been buried in Ginny's thigh seconds before, "...Oh." Ginny whispered, seeing two other small shards of glass in her leg through her ripped jeans, "Neville..."

"Don't worry it's... it's going to be... to be fine." Neville said, his face paling as he stared at the glass.

"Neville?"

"It's alright... it's going to be al...right." he muttered.

"Neville if you faint I'm going to bleed to death!" Ginny snapped.

"I'm sorry I'm just do not do well with this much blood." Neville said.

"Think about our baby." Ginny said quietly.

Neville's expression cleared almost instantly and he nodded, removing his shirt and tearing it into strips, "Take off your pants."

"I'm sorry?"

"Hurry, Ginny!" he barked, waiting patiently for her to comply.

Once Ginny's pants had been carefully removed Neville removed the remaining glass, trying to ignore Ginny's wails of pain and stop anymore blood from escaping.

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Harry rushed to Ron's side as Sirius moved past him, "Where are you going?!" he cried.

"I have to find Remus!" Sirius called back, disappearing into the dense forest.

Harry sighed heavily and tore his shirt off, pulling off a strip and wrapping it around the wound on Ron's forehead; it had seemed like an hour since Snape and Goyle had dove into the ocean and he could hear Ginny shrieking behind him but Neville was handling it and Ron was the bespectacled boy's main concern. He struggled to focus as he checked the redhead over for any other wounds; Fred and George were nearby with Angelina, none of them injured beyond a few scratches and bruises. Viktor and Tonks were standing at the shore watching the happenings in the ocean and Harry strained to see the swimmers, but could see nothing but black ocean. The sun had begun to rise slowly, and Harry hoped that it would help Snape and Goyle find the others. Ron began to stir and opened his eyes slowly, "Harry? What happened?"

"The plane crashed... you hit your head. Are you alright?"

Ron winced, "I think so; where's Ginny?"

Harry pointed along the dusky beach to where Neville wrapped pieces of his torn up shirt around Ginny's thigh, speaking to her and keeping her gaze off of her own injuries. When he had finished she kissed him, and Ron's face burned with anger, "She's hurt... I should-"

"She was screaming earlier but Neville seems to have a handle on things..." Harry would have said something to defuse his friend's anger, but the others returned from the ocean and both boys rushed to the scene. When they reached the shore, Snape and Goyle were both exhausted, but Snape took care to drag Draco away from the water and move when Hermione knelt beside him, "Everyone stay back and give him room." She said, tilting his head back.

After listening to his heartbeat for a moment she pinched his nose shut and blew air into his mouth, "What are you doing?"

"My parents taught me, Goyle." Hermione said when she sat up, "He'll die if I don't!"

"You're doing something a _Muggle_ taught you?!" Goyle demanded.

"What else do we have?" Tonks muttered, silencing the boy.

"Where is Sirius?" Snape asked.

"He ran off." Harry said, turning back to watch Hermione intently.

After only one more breath Draco jerked and Hermione pulled back, spitting out a mouthful of saltwater that Draco had coughed into her mouth and helped him roll onto his side as he coughed up more water. Draco struggled to breathe for a moment before rolling onto his knees and sitting up; when his breathing was normal Goyle was at his side, doting on the embarrassed blonde. Viktor was the same way with Hermione and Snape ignored both couples, turning back to Harry, "You said Sirius ran off?"

"Almost as soon as you got into the water." Harry replied, "He said he was going to find Remus; there was a fire in the woods earlier but... it looks like it's mostly gone now. I don't know but that may be where he went."

Snape scowled and glanced at Tonks as he headed towards the trees, "Stay with the children, and I _mean_ it!" he snapped, hurrying off as the sun came over the horizon, signaling the end of night.

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Sirius was panting now as he neared the smoldering flames that the nose of the plane had left in the jungle; he picked his way carefully across pieces of scorched steel and melting plastic, "Remus? Remus!" he called desperately as he identified the bodies, growing more and more fearful that the next he would find would be Lupin.

A strangled cough followed by a moan of agony pulled Sirius away from the crash site, and he found an unrecognizable figure lying in a shallow stream, facedown in the water. Sirius walked to the figure and laid a hand on the man's shoulder; the figure screamed and rolled away as smoldering skin separated from the flesh below, "Don't." a choked voice growled, "I… I'm not fully… myself."

Lupin lay in the shallow water panting for what seemed like an eternity before the last of his wolfish features had left him, and his injuries had lessened somewhat, "I knew I would find you." Sirius whispered.

"Did I… cause this?" Lupin asked, his voice possessing a whining quality that made Sirius uncomfortable.  
"No." the man quickly denied, "It was my fault; that's why I hoped… hoped that you were alive."

"Where are the others? The children… where are they?" Lupin muttered, grunting in pain as he sat up.

"On the beach, they're all fine; are you?"

"I'll live." Lupin said, "I don't suppose you brought clothes with you."

Sirius cast a sidelong glance back towards the wreckage and winced, "Wait here." He said, rushing off.

When Sirius returned with pants and handed them to Lupin the man pulled them on quickly, "I won't ask where these came from." He muttered, reaching for Sirius' hand but quickly dropping his arm when Snape stormed into the clearing, "Severus."

"You left the children alone on the beach!" Snape growled, taking no time to show his relief that Remus was alive, "I had to leave them with _Tonks_. She is only a child herself! Your stupidity could have _killed _someone; we should be thinking about-"

"I apologize for what I did." Sirius said, "But Lupin has burns and… maybe you could postpone your lecture long enough to find something to help?"

Snape was silent for a moment before raising an eyebrow, "I'm glad to see you're alive, Remus; I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you." Lupin said timidly, sitting on the bank of the stream.

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"You should just be careful." Neville said warily.

"We're just going for a walk down the beach."

"It's about to rain." Neville countered, "If your cuts get wet and infected then there's nothing we can-"

"Back off Neville; I'm not your responsibility. You are certainly not _mine_, and I don't know why you keep telling me what to do all the time!"

"BECAUSE I CAN!" Neville shouted.

"Why are you so upset?" Ginny whispered, embarrassed by all of the stares.

"That thing growing inside of you is mine Ginny. _Mine,_" he whispered angrily, "And I want it back!"

"Well what do you want me to do about it?!" she demanded softly.

"All I'm saying... is that while I'm trapped here with you, you could _try_ to make it at least _bearable_."

"Oh I'm _unbearable_ now?!" Ginny said, stepping forward and poking her finger accusingly at his chest, "Well whenever it gets really bad, just remember who did this to me!" she snapped, storming off to join Hermione and Angelina who had already started combing the beach for interesting pieces of wreckage or seashells.

Neville's face turned red with anger as she left; Goyle joined him with a smirk, "I think I might understand a bit of what you're going through, mate."

Neville glanced back at where Draco was sitting at the water's edge, the tide lapping at his bare feet, "I doubt that."

"So tell me how'd a git like you get such a beautiful vision of a girl anyway?"

Neville scowled at Goyle, "Don't you think you're eyeing the wrong vision?"

Goyle chuckled and shook his head, "Draco's my friend; he doesn't need me like that or anything... so honestly is she _yours_? Because if she isn't-"

"Yeah she is." Neville snapped, his face going from simple annoyance to dangerous anger, "I'd appreciate if you remembered that."

Goyle shrugged and turned, returning to Draco's side, "What was that about?" the blonde asked, "He looked angry."

"Nothing, Longbottom is nothing but talk." Goyle answered.

Draco rose an eyebrow, but he didn't have time to ask; Lupin, Sirius and Snape returned from the forest, looking a bit worse for the wear.

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"This isn't right; keeping them on the beach? Is that really the safest place?" Tonks said, "It's going to start raining and what about animals?"

"I doubt there's anything scarier than Remus and I here, Tonks; don't worry." Sirius laughed.

"Animals probably won't come out onto the beach." Lupin said seriously, "The rain could pose a problem but... as long as it stays warm I don't see it being dangerous."

Tonks looked to Snape, hoping he would agree; Snape avoided her gaze, "They're right; we'll stay on the beach."

Tonks' eyes narrowed and she frowned, "Well when someone gets swept out at high tide I suppose you can swim out to save _them_ too!" she snapped, standing and walking away.

"What was that about?" Lupin asked.

Snape shrugged and Sirius crossed his arms, "Well I say we don't invite her back to anymore of our meetings." He said with a smirk, "If she's going to run off like a child every time she doesn't get her way."

"Everyone is tired." Snape said, standing as well, "Once we've all rested we'll be able to sort things out without these... interruptions."

"Are you going after her?" Lupin asked.

"No!" Snape replied quickly, as if accused, "I'm... going to tell the children to stay put and get some rest, unless you two have something to add."

"Nothing." Lupin said with a slight smile, "Thank you again, Severus."

Snape turned quickly and left the men in the forest to return to the beach, there he planned to announce their decision and console Tonks, if she would let him.

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A/N: Ok so sorry this took so long you guys! I know things are a little broken and scattered at this point but... it's a plane crash so things are gonna be unorganized at first. There won't be much gore in the second chapter... probably less than this, and more characters than just Snape and Ginny get time, hurray! Thanks in advance for the reviews!


	2. Confuto Respiro

A/N: Just so you know, the first paragraph contains a _soliloquy_. That's like a big speech either to the audience in a play, or to one's self. It is done with an Elizabethan flare, but it's the only one. I've told some of you before, but keep a close eye on the soliloquy if you want hints to the future. If it slows you up too much you can just ignore it because it's mostly ranting anyway. Also there is a rather frisky but very mild homosexual scene in this chapter but nothing worse than PG-13 or T in the rating system. Thanks for reading and SORRY it took so long! I also haven't done a Disclaimer in about thirty years so… I don't known any aspects or characters or anything else involving J.K. Rowling's universe and works and other such things. Hurray.

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Sirius grinned and pulled Lupin down against him, "Come on Moony, why so eager to run away?"

"Because we're _outside_, Sirius!" Lupin snapped.

"That never bothered you be-"

"We have children to look after, and it's going to rain." Lupin said as he stood, "Very soon."

"Can you really smell that, or is that just your excuse?" Sirius asked.

"No it's not my excuse." Lupin said indignantly, leaning back against a tree, "You just always happen to do things like this right when it's about to rain."

Sirius stood up and took Lupin's hands, "The children are fine, Remus; Snivellus and Tonks are on the beach with them. Everything is fine; you can let go for a while."

Lupin looked doubtful for a moment, and then smiled, leaning forward and kissing Sirius. Sirius pinned Lupin against the tree as his kisses found Lupin's throat. Suddenly a string of angry violent shouts startled both men. Sirius straightened and Lupin ducked around him, sprinting into the forest towards the noise.

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George glanced over his shoulder as he stepped into the woods; the sun was hidden behind the thick canopy of trees. Everyone had laid down to rest but George could only stare at the sky and grow angry at himself. He stared up at the trees for a moment and wished for one of his parents, just one, to be with him, "Am I the only one who thinks this is the best thing that could have happened?" he muttered, "When our only options were to sink or swim into the belly of a whale was it wrong of me to wish for a disaster? Something's happened to them; I sleep and yet I am also the one who remains awake. They are lucky to miss what it is that I see. The lover of a whore sires only another, after all, and the strong and weak creatures serve only to rend each other until death takes them both. I take the dreamer's path through this forest and none will wake me until I find what it is that I seek; I must find myself in this dark place lest Sleep herself be my eternal mistress. The dun smoke of hell wraps around the moon and blots out its great light… perhaps for the best. The ermine turns stoat when at last the adder is upon her. All of this becomes in summer… all of this because of what I have done, what I will do. What won't I do to ensure it is done?"

"George?!"

"Aye and now the moon's light is upon me." George spat, "To force me away from myself; give my life to death and strike me down! I know your face! The smoke will light upon you soon enough!"

"George! George wake up; you're dreaming!"

George cried out and struggled against Lupin as he fought to hold the boy, "What's wrong with him?!" Sirius called, running into the clearing from the woods.

Lupin shook his head as the boy finally awoke and fell against him, "He was sleepwalking; I'm pretty sure he didn't want me to wake him up. Are you alright, George?"

"I was lost." George muttered, rubbing his eyes, "Which way is the beach?"

"I'll take you." Lupin said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder as he started to come around, "It isn't far."  
"I'll wait here for you, Remus." Sirius said quietly.

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"SEVERUS!"

Snape jerked awake and sat up; Tonks had been shaking him, "What is it?!"

"It's the Bulgarian boy; he isn't breathing." Tonks said.

Snape was on his feet in a second and at Viktor's side in another, "When did it happen?"

"A few moments ago, I started screaming as... as soon as he stopped breathing." Hermione said, struggling to keep from panicking.

Snape looked over the gasping boy; his chest was rising and falling too quickly to allow any real airflow, and although his face was calm, Snape was certain that the boy was too upset to slow his own breathing, "He's breathing, but not well." Snape muttered, looking around before narrowing his eyes and shouting, "Longbottom!"

Neville made his way to the scene cautiously, still obviously afraid of the professor, "Y-yes?"

"Do you know what Coltsfoot looks like, Longbottom?" Snape asked, "Chamomile, Burdock?"

"Yes sir... I... I know all of th-those, sir." Neville stuttered.

"Then go and _find_ them!" Snape snapped, "And be quick about it; he won't last long."

After a second more of staring Neville turned and ran into the woods while Snape scowled down at the Bulgarian's barely-moving chest, "Granger, you stay with him and keep pressure on his chest."

"On his chest!?" she demanded, "But he can't-"  
"He is breathing too fast." Snape said as he stood, "If you can get him to slow down he will be able to get more air. Nymphadora, I want you to find some rocks and try to start a fire by… hitting them together, I believe."  
"Where are you going, Severus?!" Tonks demanded.

"Only an idiot would leave this boy's life in Longbottom's hands alone." Snape replied, walking off into the woods after the flustered boy.

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"Coltsfoot is found along paths and disturbed places." Neville muttered to himself, "Chamomile is found in dry soul and Burdock grows in… in…"

As Neville recited his past Herbology lessons to himself, Snape walked up behind him and rolled his eyes, "Burdock can grow anywhere; it's the _time_ I'm worried about. We don't have much."

Neville jumped and sighed, "Professor Snape, I'm sorry; I was-"

"_Time_, Longbottom!" Snape snapped, "Just keep your eyes open."

Neville nodded sullenly, watching for the herbs as they continued walking, "Professor Snape?"

"What now?" Snape muttered.  
"Ginny Weasley is pregnant." He said, the words sort of tumbling from his mouth, "I… it's my fault."

Snape stared at Neville for a moment, "You dreadful idiot." He said quietly, "Why did you wait to tell me this _now_? I suppose you want me to _fix-_"

"No." Neville interrupted bravely, "I can fix it; I know how to fix it. I can give her Pennyroyal and Nutmeg and Mugwort-"

"You could kill her." Snape said, "Unless that's your intention."

"She's trying to take me down with her." Neville said, "Now is something happens you'll know… you'll know it was me."

"Longbottom." Snape said, unsure what else he could say, "I'd suggest you rethink some things."

"I found the Burdock, Professor." Neville said, kneeling by the small plant and pulling it from the ground as if their conversation had never taken place.

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"She's _pregnant_?!" Tonks gasped.

"And you think he's going to try and kill it?" Lupin asked calmly.  
Snape shook his head, "I think he told me so that he can't. He knows what we would do to him if he did something that stupid. He never really wanted to do something but… he was afraid that he couldn't resist. Longbottom has always been a coward."

"What are we going to do? Ginny Weasley is _pregnant_." Tonks said, "She's only fourteen years old."

"And Longbottom is only fifteen." Snape muttered.

"Well why should we worry with him? He's the one who _did_ this." Tonks said, crossing her arms, "He shouldn't even be allowed to _touch_ her."

Snape looked at Tonks, scowling, "Not alone, he didn't, and he's going to need as much help as she is with a baby! He's an idiot."

"Which is why we should keep them apart!" Tonks shouted.

"What damage could he do now, she's already pregnant." Sirius muttered.

"He is the father of a _child_, Nymphadora! Because of a stupid thing that both of them did while under circumstances children should never have to face." Snape said, "He is a father, whether he likes it or not."

"You seem very concerned about this, Severus." Lupin said, impressed.

"I know that if we don't do something Longbottom will just end up like one of us. He'll be a childish idiot who is frightened of responsibility because he doesn't want to fail anyone, or he'll be a work addicted protector of some childish idiot that can't stop blaming himself for every time the idiot fails, _or_ he'll wind up cold, angry and incapable of affection." Snape growled.

After a pause Lupin—determined to defuse the awkward situation—asked, "What are you going to do for Viktor?"

"I don't want to treat him until he has another attack, and I'll check on him before I talk to Longbottom." Snape said standing and leaving the clearing.

"So... are you the idiot?" Sirius asked.

"We're all idiots." Lupin replied, standing with a sigh.

Ron scowled as he watched from the darkness outside of the clearing; he rose to his feet and ran off towards the beach.

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Harry winced as a slight rain began to fall; it turned the sand at his feet to mud as he stood. Small drops of water wound their way down his pale chest and fogged his miraculously unbroken glasses. Ron grabbed his slick shoulder and spun him around suddenly, "I have to talk to you." He whispered.

Harry stumbled slightly as he turned, "What is it?"

"Go over and wait for me over by the rocks, alright?" Ron muttered, "I'll be there in a second."

Harry nodded and walked off as Ron turned to find Goyle; the larger boy was sleeping beside Draco and the pale blonde's arm was wrapped tightly around Goyle's. Ron closed his eyes to hide his disgust as he nudged Goyle with his foot. Goyle jumped slightly and scowled up at Ron as the rain began to come down harder; Draco sat up and rubbed his eyes, "We'd better move, Greg."

Goyle glanced up at Ron and stood slowly, "I'll find you in a bit." He muttered, following the redhead as he led him off down the beach.

"You really shouldn't let him touch you; it's disgusting. We're all going to start thinking that you two-"

"That we what?" Goyle snapped, scowling.

"I didn't mean anything bad, mate; I was just saying." Ron comforted as they reached Harry's side.

"What is this all about, Ron?" Harry asked.

"I heard the adults talking; they said Neville admitted that he lied to you about Dumbledore. Says he helped them find us and that his grandma was behind it the whole time. She deserved to die, the old cow."

Harry and Goyle both looked surprised, but emotion laced Harry's words when he spoke, "Longbottom… did this to us?"

"I knew he was a git, but _this_?" Goyle sounded doubtful.

"We have to teach him a lesson." Ron said, "We'll take him out into the woods… we'll make him wish he'd never been stupid enough to get on with friends like those dirty Muggles."

Harry nodded and gave a weak sigh, wandering off to think by himself as Ron remained behind with Goyle, "We need to talk."

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"You fancy my sister, don't you?" Ron asked.

"Sure, who wouldn't?" Goyle replied, "She's pretty enough."

"You want to get her away from Longbottom?"

"Yes." Goyle said darkly, his features growing dark as a shaft of lightning tore the sky above them.

"Me too." Ron said darkly.

"Longbottom didn't really lead the Muggles to Dumbledore, did he?" Goyle asked.

"No." Ron admitted, "But I need Harry's help. Ginny is pregnant."

Goyle looked as though he'd been slapped in the face, "Pregnant? Is it… is it _his_?"

"Yes." Ron said, "He told Snape about it while they were off looking for a way to cure that idiot Bulgarian."

"I'll do whatever you need me to do." Goyle growled.

"Just get Longbottom away from my sister long enough for Harry and me to grab him. Take her picking fruit or out for a walk; she's a sucker for things like that. Do you think you can handle this?" Ron asked.

Goyle nodded and Ron smiled slightly, "You'd better get back to Malfoy before he suspects anything."

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A/N: Oh my God I'm so sorry this took so long. I really hate leaving you guys hanging for so long but I'd rather give you a good chapter than a thrown together one. Anyhow, what did you guys think? I might take a week or so with the next one just because I'll be so busy, but don't give up on me!


	3. Dominus Pestilencia

A/N: Haha I bet you guys thought you wouldn't be seeing me for a year or so, huh? Well no such luck, I'm back. What's to come?! Hopefully some answers, and some more questions! Hurray! Oh, and beware of gore!

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Snape scowled as he knelt beside the large Bulgarian boy, "How's the fire coming?"

Tonks grinned just as sparks from the rocks sprang into a small fire; Hermione held her jacket over the tiny flame to keep the rain off of it, "Is he alright?"

Snape nodded distractedly as he rolled a bit of the coltsfoot in a leaf of the burdock Neville had found earlier. He handed it to Viktor, who was struggling to keep his breaths from coming too fast, "Breathe in the smoke from this; it will burn but it's all we've got to help right now."

Viktor nodded and Snape reached into the small fire, taking out a bit of wood that was burning strong enough to withstand the move. He lit the end of the rolled herbs when Viktor put it to his lips and tossed the stick back onto the fire. Viktor inhaled and coughed slightly, making a face, "This will help him?" Hermione asked urgently.

"Stay with him and make sure he finishes it." Snape said, "The burdock can cause a rash but it is temporary. Find a way to keep this fire from going out and keep the rest of the plants dry."

Tonks stood as Snape walked away and took his hand, "You saved that boy, Severus." Tonks said.

"What I have done is given him a chance; it's up to those two what happens after this." He said, tensing at her touch, "I'm going to find Longbottom."

"Can't you stay with me just for a while?" Tonks asked, "Just for one night?"

Snape hesitated, and finally gave a sigh of surrender, "Alright."

Tonks smiled and leaned forward, stealing a kiss in the dark.

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Neville nudged Ginny, sitting down beside her in the dark, "It's me."

"Well I figured." She replied sleepily, "Who else would it be?"

Neville reached down and took her hand, "I'm sorry that I yelled."

Ginny rested her head against his shoulder and he could hear the smile in her voice, "Me too."

"I don't really want to take it back." Neville said.

Ginny giggled, "Oh you'll get it back... just not for a long time." She said, snuggling up against him, "Neville?"

"Yeah?"

"I know... I know that you did it for me." Ginny whispered, "Thank you."

"I love you." Neville said suddenly.

Ginny froze, pulling away, "Did you mean that?"

"Yes." Neville sounded frightened as he answered.

Ginny practically leapt onto the boy, kissing him as they fell to the ground, "I love you too." She whispered, pulling her lips away from his just long enough to speak.

Neville pushed her back slightly, "What… what are we doing?"

Ginny sounded mildly annoyed when she replied, "Well geez Neville, I would think that you would _recognize_ it by now." She said, "And be careful with my leg, alright?"

"This wasn't my idea." Neville said.

Ginny shrugged and sat up, "Well we could stop if you want to."

Neville sat up, pulling her to him and capturing her lips with his own.

A few yards away Harry and Ron lay trying to sleep, "Can you hear that?" Ron asked angrily.

"It's better than Goyle and Malfoy's fighting." Harry replied sleepily, rolling over.

Ron grabbed Harry's shoulder and rolled him back over, slamming his friend's back against the ground, "He's shagging my sister." Ron growled.

"They're just kissing, and besides why are you listening?" Harry said, pushing Ron's hand away and sitting up, "I'm going to sleep by Hermione and Viktor on the beach."

"Fine." Ron spat, "Go sleep in the rain."

After a moment of silence signaled Harry's absence, Ron slammed his fist into the ground and tried to block out the giggles and whispers coming from the nearby young couple.

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"Don't be silly, Remus. That had nothing to do with you."

"If I had been focused I… I might have been able to find him sooner." Lupin said.  
"Nothing bad happened." Sirius comforted.  
"No, but something could have." Lupin sighed, "I can't afford to kill anyone else, Sirius… I have to be on my guard."

"What happened on the plane… you had no control-"

"Exactly!" Lupin shouted, "I never have any control! I'm an _animal_!"

"You're not an animal, Remus." Sirius said gently, reaching to touch the man's shoulder.

Lupin jerked away and sighed, "I can't afford to do this again, Sirius, not now."

"We can get you Wolfsbane." Sirius comforted, "We can fix it. Snivellus can help you. It probably grows here."

"Severus is busy." Lupin dismissed.

"Then he can tell _me_ what to look for." Sirius said, "Stay here."

Lupin opened his mouth to protest but the other man ran off as the sun began to rise.

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Neville smiled to himself as he rolled onto his side, reaching for Ginny; his hand found only air and he opened his eyes, frowning. Suddenly Sirius walked around the tree, "Neville, have you seen Sniv… Snape?"

"He probably went off to the beach to check on Viktor." Neville replied sleepily, rubbing his eyes, "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Sirius said, heading off towards the beach, "Thank you!"

Neville frowned and stood, crossing his arms as he watched the man walk away. The tall boy couldn't help but feel a stab of annoyance at the way Sirius had brushed him aside. He may not be Harry Potter, but he was perfectly capable of handling adult situations. He'd helped save Viktor's life, and he was about to be a father. That was more than any other man on the island could say. Neville froze when he heard a twig snap behind him; he turned and saw Harry standing not far off, "Oh, hi Harry."

"Hi, Neville." Harry said quietly, "Do you want to go for a walk?"

Neville shrugged, "Alright, yeah." He said, walking to the other boy and smiling, "Where to?"

"You go ahead, Neville. You know the forest better than I do."

Neville smiled and walked ahead, taking the same path he'd taken to the burdock the day before, "It's not so bad, really. It's a _lot_ better than the Forbidden Forest."

"Yeah..." Harry muttered.

Neville let Harry remain silent for the rest of the walk, stopping when they reached a clearing, "Well, this is as far out as I've been."

"It's nice." Harry said.

Suddenly Ron stepped into the clearing before them, holding a fist-sized rock, "Hey Ron." Neville greeted pleasantly, "What are you-" the look on Ron's face forced Neville to silence.

Ron threw the rock before Neville could duck; the tall boy turned and the rock struck him in the back between the shoulders. Pain simultaneously shot up through his skull and down into his knees. Neville stumbled forward but didn't miss a step as he ran from the clearing. Father's instinct—deeper than wizards can understand with their magic and convenience—drove him to run and gain the upper hand, forced him to wonder. _When they were done with him, would they go for Ginny and the baby? _Neville cried out in rage at the thought and turned, his fist found Ron's jaw before the redhead could react. Ron growled as he climbed back to his feet, picking up a large limb that had long since fallen from one of the trees above. Neville took a step back and Harry shoved him forward as Ron swung, the branch connecting with the boy's head and knocking him down. Harry drug the boy to his feet and held his arms behind him, keeping him steady for Ron.

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"Ginny?"

Ginny turned, "Hello Goyle, what are you doing out here so early?"

Goyle shrugged, "Walking."

"Me too." Ginny said with a smile, "I needed to stretch my legs."

"Care to join me?" Goyle asked quietly, "Malfoy told me where we can find some fruit."

"It could be worth looking." Ginny said pleasantly, "Sure let's go."

"Do you need help?" Goyle asked, offering her his arm.

Ginny beamed and linked her arm in his, "You're too kind." She gushed, walking with him into the forest.

"Uh... Ginny," Goyle started, forcing away his aversion to speaking, "I've... been thinking for a while... about you."

"About me?" Ginny asked, looking up at him.

She was so small and frail next to the hulking boy; Goyle forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat. If Ginny found out that he had helped Ron and Harry hurt Neville, she would never forgive him. His chances would be lost and he'd be stuck with Draco for his only companion forever, "Yeah. I uh... I sort of... fancy you, you could say."

Ginny laughed and after catching sight of his face, stopped, "Oh... oh you really do. Well gee Goyle... you shouldn't. I mean... I'm not that great and I'm with Neville."

Goyle turned and took Ginny by the shoulders, "I don't mean to make you nervous, Ginny."

Ginny shook her head, "You don't, at all. You're a nice guy, Goyle... from what I can tell. The way you swam out to save Draco was great. I just-"

"Draco and I are just acquaintances." Goyle said, "But I would have done it for anybody. So would have any of you that were capable."

"I never took you for the modest type, Goyle." Ginny said.

Goyle shrugged, "Most people don't take me for anything. I don't talk much."

"Well." Ginny said, looking around awkwardly, "How about that fruit?"

Goyle smiled, "It's not far." He assured, leading her into the forest.

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"Get off of me!" Neville cried, struggling to escape Harry's grip.

Harry stumbled forward as the taller boy nearly escaped him, "Ron!"

Ron stepped forward and landed a heavy-handed punch to Neville's nose; Neville stumbled and nearly drug Harry forward as the bespectacled boy held him up. Harry forced himself to remember what Neville had done to them, and ignore the sickening sound of Ron's blows to Neville's face. Neville's head fell back and Harry couldn't close his eyes in time to avoid seeing him. Neville's exact features were hard to make out; blood that poured from his nose hid his mouth completely from view, and as Ron landed a punch to Neville's stomach, a whoosh of air from Neville's mouth caused blood to spray from his lips. Harry winced as Ron grew angrier, "This is what you get for touching my sister, Longbottom!" he yelled.

The words caused Harry's ears to burn and his chest to tighten; he blinked at Ron, "What did you say?"

Neville lifted his head slowly; his bangs hung in his face dripping sweat and blood. His normally dull eyes looked savagely courageous. He spat blood onto the ground and locked eyes with Ron. The redhead froze for a moment, then scowled and shouted again, "Never touch my sister again! Do you hear me?! _Never_!"

Ron stumbled forward and brought his fist against Neville's temple; a sickening crack sounded and Neville went limp in Harry's arms. The bespectacled boy stumbled forward and his glasses fell from his face, shattering on the ground as something ripped through his mind like a bullet; _Don't believe his lies or you'll crucify him._ Harry's right hand slid up and he pressed his fingers to Neville's throat, "Ron."

Blood puddle on the redhead's knuckles and Ron hit the spot again, another crack, more blood, "Ron!"

Ron's rage faded as he looked at Harry's face, "What?!"

"Ron he's dead!" Harry sobbed.

Ron straightened and he looked down at his hand before turning and bolting into the forest. Harry let Neville drop forward as buried his face in his blood-soaked hands. Harry fell forward against Neville's body, his hand leaving a sketchy red handprint on the boy's stomach. Less than twelve inches above that, blood that had ran from Neville's face decorated his chest with a large ugly spattering of blackness. Harry clenched his teeth and drove his fist down against Neville's chest, as though he were angry with the boy for dying. Harry stood quickly, stumbling a few times before running blindly into the forest, the image of Neville's brave eyes burned forever into his mind.

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A/N: Well there you have it. Gore, shock, awe, human drama, I hope you're all very pleased with yourselves. Look what you've made me do! Ok so not really… it was mostly Neville's fault. He was just too cute… no more cute shirtless Neville cry. Well anyhow, you should all be proud of me for posting this so fast, AND it's my birthday so… HUZZAH FOR ME!


	4. Pacificus Procer

A/N: Ok I know I deserve to be strung up by my toes for thirty years in Antarctica for how long I've made you wait for these last chapters but I swear I have good excuses… somewhere. Hopefully you guys will enjoy it and it will answer some of the questions that you guys have. Happy reading!

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"So he told you he fancies you?"

"Yeah, it was very strange. I mean, it's weird enough to have him talk to me at all but for him to say _that_?" Ginny said.

"What did you tell him?" Hermione asked.

"I laughed."

"Ginny!" Hermione scolded.

"And then I told him that I'm with Neville." Ginny finished.

"How's Ron taking that?" Hermione asked.

"I don't care." Ginny said defiantly, and then smiled slowly at her friend, "I'm pregnant."

"You're _pregnant_?!" Hermione whispered, "Is it _his_?"

"Neville's, yes." Ginny said with a sigh, "How's Viktor?"

"He's quiet, quieter than usual." Hermione said, "Professor Snape has been staying with him a lot. He told me to take a walk, which either means he's going to tell Viktor something very worrisome, or he's going to ask him something very personal."

"He probably wants to know if you're pregnant." Ginny said, "They _know_ I am… I can tell by the way they all look at me. Neville told Snape while they were out looking for that plant for Viktor."

"Well even if I _wanted _to Viktor would never…" Hermione stopped herself, "Not that _you_ two did anything wrong or that Neville took advantage."

"It was my idea." Ginny explained.

"You're not worried about this?" Hermione asked.

"Neville told me yesterday he was going to help me; he was happy about the baby." Ginny said.

"Do you love him?"

Ginny's eyes lit up and she couldn't help but smile, "Yes."

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"Draco!"

Draco jerked from sleep and rolled onto his back just as Goyle knelt beside him, practically falling at the sleeping boy's side, "What is it?"

"Ron and Harry… they took Neville out into the jungle!" Goyle panted.

"Why?" Draco asked, crossing his arms, "More specifically, why do _you _care?"  
"Ginny's pregnant." Goyle said, "And… Ron wanted my help distracting her so that they could drag Neville off."

"And you did because you fancy her." Draco said, "That's where you were this morning. I thought that three hours was a bit long to be going for fruit so close to the beach."

"That's not important now!" Goyle cried, "I think Ron could really hurt Longbottom, and I couldn't find Professor Snape anywhere."

"That's probably a good thing!" Draco shouted, "Do you know what Snape would have done to you if he knew that you were in on this?!"

"I don't know." Goyle said, his head lowering.

Draco let out a sound of pure desperation and when he spoke again, his voice cracked with urgency, "I thought we were going to get away from this! I thought with Voldemort gone and our families dead that we could start over! How could you do this to me?! How can you go back to all that? For _Weasley_ no less! FOR WEASLEY?!"

Goyle reached for Draco's arm, "I'm sor-"

Draco jerked away and shoved the large boy aside, "Whatever you do just stay away from Snape." he growled, "I'm going to fix this."

Goyle watched his blonde companion run off through the trees and sighed, burying his face in his hands.

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Draco's first steps were stumbles, but now he was sprinting through the trees, limbs and brambles scratching his face, chest and arms as he ran by them. Draco's heart was pounding in his chest and his mind raced, thoughts about Goyle and Neville and even his father racing through his head. Something was starting to tell him that he was running towards inescapable danger. If the zoo had redeemed _him_, of all people, then someone who could still bring it upon themselves to physically attack Neville after all of this must truly be evil. What would keep someone like that from turning on Draco if he turned up to stop the fighting? Draco doubted that Neville would even accept his help, but his fears and doubts could not replace Draco's obsessive need to be accepted by the others, and his desire to escape his father's reputation.

Draco stumbled to a stop as he saw a figure lying on the ground about thirty feet away, "Neville?" he called cautiously, looking around for Ron or Harry.

Neither of the boys was around, and Neville did not respond to Draco's call; bravely, Draco ran again towards the obviously injured boy. Draco had only gone three or four yards before the ground beneath him disappeared into a great chasm, so steep that it had been invisible between the lines of grass and trees surrounding it. Draco closed his eyes as his stomach leapt, the drop of nearly forty feet into ice-cold water knocked the breath from Draco, and when he surfaced the edges of his vision had began to go black. Draco's head struck a rock and stars exploded behind his eyes, then black swept across his vision and he sank into darkness.

When Draco awoke he was laying face-up in shallow water, resting on the edge of a muddy bank. He stood and touched his forehead, sticky with drying blood and sweat. The pain had been dulled by the icy water, but now a slow throbbing began in his head and swept down his neck into his shoulders; with a wince, Draco walked up the bank into the grass and looked around. There was a slight incline that steadily joined with the high cliff and it would take him to Neville if he were careful. As Draco continued towards the forest he began to hear a faint buzzing; it grew louder with each step he took and soon he was surrounded by an unimaginable swarm of flies. Deafened and nearly blinded, Draco continued to press on until the flies grew so thick he was forced to stop and get his bearings before continuing. Another sight troubled him now, for on the ground Draco could see through the swarm of flies, a single hand. It was charred and distorted slightly by the flies, but Draco recognized the ring instantly; his eyes traced to his own hand where a similar ring sat, and a thick wave of nausea rose from his stomach. The flies seemed to clear away and reveal the rest of Lucius' body, not far off there were three others.

As Draco's head began to swim the flies turned on him, flying at the gaping wound on his head and the scratches lacing his arms and chest. He swatted at them but more and more came until terror and pain forced Draco to run back to the water, he splashed down the river until the water became deep enough to hide him. He submerged completely and when he rose again the flies were gone; the buzzing was quieted, and Draco understood that the only way to reach Neville was straight up. He returned to the spot where he had fallen and searched until he found a rock large enough to hold him. The climbing was slow and painstaking, but Draco made progress, and the four corpses in the forest began to fade from his thoughts.

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Harry ran as if the devil were chasing him, and as far as the boy was concerned, he might as well have been. Sweat poured down into his eyes and Neville's blood was drying on his hands; he stumbled and fell, finally coming to rest as he burst from the trees onto a high, rocky clearing. His ignored the throbbing pain in his knees from the fall as he rolled onto his back, "I need help!" he screamed at the sky, "Tell me what to do! Please!"

"Now what good would that do?"

Harry shot up as the voice spoke, "You're back."

"I don't know why I bothered." Cedric said, "You'll just _ignore_ me again."

"I didn't... I did know! How could I have known Ron was lying?" Harry breathed.  
"You knew." Cedric said bitterly, "You wanted to believe Ron so that you would have revenge for what happened. You're not the only one that was hurt at that zoo and blaming Neville was the _worst_ thing you could have done. Now what will Ginny do with her baby? Well that doesn't matter anyway because Ron's going right now to put a stop to _that_ as well."

"He wouldn't."

"You doubt what this boy would do? He killed Neville Longbottom! He bashed an innocent boy's head in while you held him! You're not the hero we all thought you were, Potter."

Cedric's use of his last name stung, and Harry took a step towards Cedric, "I didn't understand. I couldn't have known."

Cedric was in Harry's face instantly, covering the distance between them in under a second, "YOU COULDN'T HAVE KNOWN?! WHY DID I COME TO YOU!? YOU WERE SO BUSY TRYING TO SNOG ME YOU COULDN'T EVEN LISTEN!?"

Harry began to try again and turned away, "I didn't know that Ron was lying. I… I didn't know."

"It's a good thing Arthur Weasley stayed back at that zoo, isn't it Potter?" Cedric asked, his voice almost casual, "I can't imagine that it wouldn't kill him for his youngest child and only daughter to come to him with a fatherless child at the age of fourteen. Three of his children died, one of them is a murderer, and one is a trollop. I can't _wait_ to see what goes wrong with the twins. You've let us all down, Potter. You couldn't save me from Voldemort; you couldn't save Dumbledore from the Muggles, or save Neville from Ron or save Ron from himself. What's your next move?"

Harry shook his head violently and stumbled towards the edge of the large cliff, his words interrupted by sobs, "This isn't you… you would never say this."

"Oh you're going to talk I see, well done; doing nothing has done wonders so far to protect everyone. I'm one of the lucky ones; I was martyred before I could fall in with you and ruin my life."

The apparition disappeared, and Harry fell to his knees, his sobs giving away to screams as he fell apart.

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The sun was burning, but Draco had disappeared into the trees by now, and he was closer than ever to finding Neville. As he reached the clearing he walked slowly, observing the spatters of blood on the ground; he continued until he reached the body. Neville's face was nearly impossible to make out, and black blood dried everywhere. As Draco took another step forward something crunched beneath his feet. He stepped back and saw Harry's broken glasses; kneeling beside Neville's body slowly, Draco noted the strange bloody handprint on Neville's stomach. It seemed out of place, but the chance to think soon left him as screams drove him to his feet. They were coming from at least a mile north, and Draco wanted nothing to do with their cause. He stood and ran back towards the beach quickly, looking for help.

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Snape heard the noises before Tonks, and he pulled away, "Don't leave." Tonks whispered, pulling him forward.

Snape allowed himself to be pulled back into the kiss until he heard it again, "Someone is coming."

Before Tonks could protest she too heard the footsteps, and Snape retreated into the trees just before Draco burst into the clearing, "Tonks!"

"What is it?" Tonks asked.

"I need help." he said breathlessly, leaning against a tree for support as he gathered himself, "I found … something out in the jungle."

Tonks raised an eyebrow, "Alright, what is it?"

"It's…" Draco swallowed, "Something that Ron Weasley did; I need you to come with me. I can't talk about it."

Tonks rose an eyebrow, but nodded, "Alright Draco… let's go."

As Draco led Tonks around the dangerous crater, he knew that if he pointed out Neville's body, she would spot it, or probably even his father's; the flies now seemed mysteriously absent from the burnt out clearing below. He bit his tongue however, wanting Tonks to experience this death the way he had, and longing for someone else to be more frightened than he was. It was something the blonde boy shared with his father; the need to be more in control than others, and it had driven Draco not to warn Tonks of Neville's fate, or even the nature of what he would show her. Her sudden burst of terror and panic would give Draco the confidence and strength to complete the grueling task that lie ahead of him. Draco walked ahead of Tonks as they entered the clearing, "Draco is that… blood?" Tonks muttered as she surveyed the spatters on the fallen leaves.

"Weasley's finally gone off the deep end." Draco answered, leading her to the body.

Tonks froze at first, unsure who she was looking at until her mind slowly worked it out. There were only three boys this tall with them, and the body's chest was not broad or its shoulders wide like Goyle's or Viktor's; it was Neville Longbottom. Tonks turned around and looked at Draco; he gave her a sad look, "I have to go stop him." he said quietly.

Tonks covered her mouth and turned back to the body as Draco disappeared into the jungle; she took one ragged breath and let out a scream that she hadn't mustered since her schoolgirl days, shouting for help in one long cry, "SEVERUS!"

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Draco ran through the jungle as he heard Tonks screaming, barely avoiding trees as the wind tore through his blonde hair and swept it back from his pale forehead. Anger and desperation were burning in his eyes as he ran towards the beach that was on the other end of the island. Something in his heart had led him through the jungle and past the pathetic screams of Harry Potter to the eastern beach where Ginny and Ron met.

"Look at you." Ron said darkly as he emerged through the jungle.

Ginny jumped and turned, crossing her arms to see Ron, "Look at _you_." she countered simply, "What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Ron replied, "Shouldn't you be with Neville?"

"Be nice to Neville." Ginny warned, "I don't want you bullying him."

Ron scowled and crossed his arms, looking down at her stomach with disgust, "He's obviously been _very_ nice to you!"

Ginny put a hand on her flat stomach, "Who told you?"

"I overheard Snape telling Lupin and Sirius." Ron said coldly, "I can't believe he did something like that to you."

Ginny couldn't help but smile softly, "Neither can he."

Ron looked disgusted once again, "You think this is _pleasant_?! How do you expect the rest of us to handle this?!"

Ron moved closer, less than six inches away from her; his anger radiated off of him like heat and Ginny had to look away. She never saw Ron's fist rise into the air.

Draco burst onto the beach and slid to a stop in the sand behind Ginny; Ron's hand dropped to his side instantly as the blonde rushed up to them. He pulled Ginny to stand behind him and his expression became a warning snarl as he addressed Ron, "What did you have planned, Weasley?"

Ron had an equally savage look as he clenched his fists, "Back off, Malfoy!"

"Come on you two, stop it! " Ginny shouted; she worried about both of them.

Ron could clobber the blonde boy, that was certain, but Draco had a sharp mind and was quicker on his feet than Ron could ever be, especially when angry, "Are you here to finish what you started?" Draco growled, "They know what you did, Weasley. I told them."

Ginny frowned in confusion, "What is he talking about Ron?" she asked, looking over Draco's shoulder.

Ron's expression changed suddenly and quickly; he ran from the beach into the trees. Draco took a step forward to follow, but turned back to Ginny, "Get to the beach, alright?"

Ginny shrugged, "Alright, but what's going on?"

Draco didn't stay to explain; he too disappeared into the jungle, leaving Ginny alone.

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Lupin looked calm as he stepped onto the beach, but inside he was screaming. He wanted to run into the forest with Sirius and shag until he could no longer imagine Neville lying in the forest, tore up like one of _his_ victims. Snape had told them that the boy's face had practically been bashed in; experience and imagination had done the rest to paint the perfect image of gore and violence in Lupin's mind. Roles had been cast when Snape returned to the jungle with Tonks trembling at his side; Sirius would stay with Viktor while Snape returned for the body and Lupin would tell Ginny. He was going to tell a girl that the father of her unborn child had been mauled and murdered in the jungle, and that he would not be returning to that beach, that uncaring and evil beach surrounded by the ambience of crashing waves and occasionally haunted by the sounds of Viktor Krum's gasping breaths.

Lupin cast a glance at Sirius who knelt beside Viktor; the boy seemed to be stable at the moment, and Sirius' eyes met Lupin's with a hint of encouragement. The werewolf stepped forward and approached Ginny, "Ginny."

Ginny smiled and stood, "Hello, Professor Lupin."

"I need to speak with you." Lupin said as evenly as he could muster, unable to refrain from glancing at the girl's stomach and imagining what the child's life would be like after all of this.

Ginny's smile faded, "Is it about the baby? I know Neville told because he's afraid but I _swear_ we'll be able to handle it. I don't want to _not_ have it. I feel comfortable about the whole thing. It… isn't that bad; Neville was just nervous, but he told me he was going to help. I don't think he'll leave me."

Lupin's expression did not change, although it struggled to, "Ginny… something happened this afternoon out in the jungle… with Neville."

Ginny's eyes widened, "Did he hurt himself?"

Lupin sighed quietly and met the young girl's eyes, "He was killed… Ron… attacked him."

Hermione, who had been walking towards them since Sirius arrived to watch Viktor, heard the news and ran to Ginny's side, catching the redhead as she collapsed. Ginny did not cry at first, however, but simply stared up at Lupin, "Ron found me… on the beach. He was standing so close." Ginny bit her lip and fought back a sob before she could finish, "Draco came and… and ran him off."

"Ginny."

"Oh Hermione, Ron was talking about my baby! He was … going to hurt me!" Ginny wailed suddenly, clutching to her friend as she allowed tears to come, "He was going to hurt my baby!"

Hermione's heart raced as she heard Ginny's story, looking up the beach she saw the twins rushing towards them with concern on their faces as Ginny's sobs turned to cries and whimpers of what Hermione imagined to be terror.

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A/N: Oh my god! So there you have it; Neville really is dead and I didn't fool you. I know that's not really a good thing but… yeah… I finally got this chapter up so hurray for me! Hopefully the next one will come out faster but unseen snares have ways of flying up when you least expect them. Anyhow, thank you for your reviews ahead of time and I look forward to all of your reactions!


	5. Quod Cruor

A/N: Woohoo! If you're reading this you probably made it through all the chapters of The Zoo and first four of The Island. I've got a special announcement! There will be a third and (sort of) final installment to these stories called The Window. I wanted to tell you guys now so that I couldn't actually avoid writing it. I like to trick myself like that. Anyhow, onward and upward!

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Draco reached the beach just as the sun was preparing to set; he hurried through the sands past survivors until a pair called out to him, "Draco!"

Draco skidded to a stop and looked to see Ginny hurrying up to him; she looked at him sadly and he knew that she knew, "I'm sorry."

"You…" she paused, "Thank you."

Draco nodded and looked at Hermione who stood beside her friend, "Where's Viktor, then?"

Hermione pointed down towards where a small covered fire burned, "He's there, why?"

Draco turned away and began to walk, "Draco, _why_?" Hermione called louder.

Draco smirked to himself very slightly, the Malfoy strut was back in his step, and had Harry or Ron been on the beach, they would have scowled instinctively to see such a familiar act of arrogance. Draco swaggered over to Viktor who gave him a curious look, "I can help you find Weasley." he said simply.

Viktor's face became hard and determined as he stood, "Where?" he rumbled.

Draco nodded, "Follow me."

As the boys walked, Hermione caught up to them with Ginny at her heels, "Viktor where are you two going?"

"Ron." Viktor said simply.

"Viktor you can't! He's… obviously upset or confused and he'll _kill_ you! You're _hurt_!" Hermione argued.

Viktor ignored the brunette and continued at Draco's side towards the forest; pleased with himself, Draco turned and blew a kiss towards the two girls that would have melted any other girl, and most any boy's heart. Hermione clenched her hands into fists; "Ooh!" she growled in frustration, "Hero or not he's still the same old Malfoy."

"He's doing the right thing." Ginny said calmly.

"Just because y-" Hermione forced herself to calm, "Ginny, we _all_ loved Neville, but-"

Ginny's face turned red with anger, "NO ONE EVER EVEN _LOOKED_ AT NEVILLE…" she paused as she struggled to calm, "Not even me until… until I really saw him." Tears found their way back into Ginny's voice as she continued, "He was… he was too wonderful for something like this, and if Viktor and Malfoy find my brother, I hope they kill him."

"Oh, Ginny." Hermione whispered sadly.

"I know he was your friend Hermione, but he isn't upset or confused… he's jealous, and he's a monster." Ginny said darkly, walking away down the beach.

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Snape turned his head as he heard twigs snapping; he reached for his wand and rolled his eyes in frustration at the instinctive act. He leaned down and picked up a rock and backed against a tree in preparation for whatever creature would burst from the trees. A flash of pink passed into his vision before Tonks burst clumsily from the trees beside him; Snape scowled and dropped the rock to the ground, "I told you to stay behind."

"I've seen it." Tonks replied quietly.

"This isn't like a _concert_, Nymphadora. Just because you've seen it doesn't mean it will be the same. With the things living in these woods it's possible the body could…" Snape trailed off as he remembered he was speaking to a woman, a woman he was involved with no less, "It could be… hard to handle."

"I want to be with you." she said stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"This is not the job for a young girl! Why are you Hufflepuff women all so needy?!" he demanded.

Tonks sighed, "Well you Slytherin men are just so _charming _that we can't stay away!" she said with violent sarcasm.

"Leave." Snape said firmly, but his anger was gone.

"In fact we used to have _pajama parties_ in the girl's dormitories and trade our pictures of you that we took from the bushes!"

"Nymphadora…"

"And we would all giggle and flounce about and say 'Ooh there's my favorite, SEVERUS BLOODY SNAPE'!" she shrieked.

Snape blinked, staring at the woman; he had made the fatal mistake of overlooking the temper that _all _women possessed, "Are you quite finished?"

"You shouldn't have to carry him back all by yourself, Severus." Tonks said, "I know that he… was terrified of you for some reason, but this can't be easy for you, no matter who it is. You've been so strong and confident since we crashed… I thought it would be nice to have someone to… be with."

"You can forget about me _being_ with you; I have morals. You're too young and I'm too old and…"

"Stubborn?" Tonks offered.

"Just don't slow me down." Snape muttered, continuing into the forest.

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Tears spilled down Ginny's cheeks as she looked down at the forest floor below her; she'd ran from the beach shortly after yelling at Hermione, and had climbed the first tree that she had come to with low enough branches. Suddenly a hand brushed across her cheek; Ginny jumped and opened her eyes, "What's the matter Gin? You look upset."

Ginny wiped her eyes, "Don't you know what happened?"

"Well of course I do."

Ginny scowled, "Then that's not _funny_, Neville! You were _murdered;_ this shouldn't be a party!"

Neville smiled gently and sat back against the opposite branch, pulling his knees to his chest, "I'm not partying, Ginny; who is? I mean really… I want to know."

Ginny crossed her arms and looked down, "Oh, Neville."

Neville leaned forward and touched her face again gently, "Our time together isn't over; no matter what happens on this island, Gin. I am not going to leave you." he looked gentle and tolerant as he spoke, as if she were a child, "Snape'll make this alright."

"What do you mean Snape will-"

"Did they find your brother?" Neville asked suddenly.

"No." Ginny said quietly, "Draco and Viktor went after him."

"Draco's a good guy, Ginny; can you remember that?" Neville urged.

"Of course, but-"

"Harry didn't know what he was doing." Neville said, "And Ron didn't know he was going to kill me, but he meant it… he meant it when it happened. I could tell… I didn't run because I wanted to protect you and the baby… I should have run. When the rock hit me in the back and I stood up I should have just-"

"Neville… I can't listen to anymore… I think I'm going to get sick." Ginny whimpered quietly.

Neville looked down sheepishly, "I'm sorry; I … I forget… You should get back to the beach. It's dark and… the woods aren't safe."

"I still don't see how Professor Snape is going to fix this." Ginny said, looking down at her hands.

"He will fix it; I'll be with you and our daughter soon." Neville comforted.

Ginny gasped and looked up quickly at the mention of a daughter, but Neville was gone, and she was alone in the tree.

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"He's close." Draco whispered, "I can hear him breathing; I know it's him because he isn't hacking."

Draco could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as Viktor gave him an unseen look in the dark, "Where?"

Draco pressed his back against a tree, listening carefully before reaching around the tree and touching a hand; it moved quickly but Draco reacted quickly and grabbed Ron's wrist, pulling him forward, "HERE!"

Viktor rushed forward and landed a hit to Ron's stomach, knocking the boy to the ground, "Good." Viktor growled.

Draco stepped over Ron's form and looked down uncaring as he uttered two words, "Hold him."

Viktor nodded and jerked Ron up, holding him back against him with such violence that a loud crack sounded as Ron's shoulders were forced out of place. He cried out and his eyelids fluttered momentarily. Draco looked annoyed, "Well don't let him pass out; this doesn't do Neville any good if it doesn't hurt."

Ron glanced up just as Draco's fist connected with his jaw; he spit out a bit of blood, "Since when have you cared about Neville Longbottom?!"

"Since you killed him, idiot." Draco shot, hitting him again.

Ron struggled experimentally to test Viktor's grip, "Give me a break, Malfoy; you hit like a girl."

Ron cried out again as Viktor pushed his arms upward, his shoulders pulling further from their joints as Ron fell limp against the Bulgarian, "Viktor doesn't think so, and I would expect a better insult from somebody with a sister as frightening as Ginny."

"Don't talk about my sister!" Ron cried.

"Why should you care? You were going to kill her, or at least mutilate her in some awful way." Draco replied calmly, landing another hit to Ron's face, "Besides, it wasn't an insult."

"NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM RUINED MY SISTER!" Ron roared suddenly, lunging at Draco again.

Viktor quickly grabbed Ron's right hand and bent back the first three fingers, snapping the bones. Ron let out a heart wrenching scream and passed out. Viktor dropped the redhead to the ground. Draco pushed his bangs from his eyes as he looked at the older boy, "You do know we have to take him back."

"I just wanted to see his filthy face in the dirt." Viktor rumbled, bending down and picking up Ron, throwing the tall boy over his massive shoulder.

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The small group of survivors had gathered to bury Neville just away from the tide line. It was getting light out and Harry was almost completely delusional by the time he stumbled out onto the beach; the twins stood instantly, walking towards him. Fred looked concerned but George simply showed anger; Ginny quickly intercepted and stood in front of Harry as Draco had done with her, "Back off!"

The twins were both taken aback, especially when Ginny repeated her warning to an approaching Snape. Snape was tolerant, "I need to check him over, Ginny; I'll respect your wishes beyond that, but this boy was with your brother when-"

"Neville told me that he didn't understand." Ginny said calmly, turning back to look at Harry.

Harry looked at her, but made no sign that he recognized her other than a thin whisper of a smile; dehydration and the heat of the forest had only sped his mental deterioration out in the jungle. The twins exchanged glances before turning back to her, "_Neville_ told you?" they asked in unison.

"He needs water." Snape said in mild annoyance as Harry slapped his hand away for the fourth time, "This isn't helping your case any, Potter." he muttered to the nearly catatonic boy, but finished looking Harry over and stepped back, preparing to leave, "I can't see that he's injured beyond a few bruises across his face; I imagine Neville knocked him in the face hard enough to break his glasses. The bruises seem right for that."

After fetching water, and shooing the twins away, Ginny sat down and invited Harry to join her, handing him the water once he sat. He drank it quickly and glanced over at Ginny once it was gone, a few droplets of water sliding down to drip onto his chest as he spoke, "I'm so sor… I should have…" Harry trailed off as though his mind was simply changing the subject and he grew quiet again.

"You too, huh?" Ginny muttered, glancing over to where the others had gathered to finish laying Neville to rest.

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"What I don't get," Sirius grunted as he lifted another heavy rock that they were using to line the boy's grave from beneath to prevent animals from burrowing after it, "Is why Ginny is so protective of Harry. I mean; I wouldn't have allowed anyone to harm him but… he probably does deserve a lecture or two in the least."

"Ginny says Neville told her Harry's innocent." George muttered, "She's taking this pretty hard, and Harry looks like he's been running from dementors out there in the forest. I'd say something strange is going on here."

"I'll say." Sirius muttered, "Where's Fred while we're doing all this work?"

George cast his gaze out over the beach and caught sight of Fred and Angelina just as his twin pressed a kiss to the girl's forehead, "He's busy." George muttered quietly.

"We're almost finished here, George; go be with your sister." Snape ordered softly; both he and Lupin had been all but silent since Harry's return, and George didn't have the heart to argue.

When the boy left Sirius turned his words against Snape, "It took you a while… making sure that Tonks was alright before you came back."

Snape stiffened, but his expression remained dull, "She was upset."

Sirius nodded, "Yes you both always seem rather flushed when you come to the beach. I suppose you two do a lot of arguing."

"That's enough." Lupin said quietly, "Pick another time."

"What is she… twenty years younger than you, Snivellus?"

Red crept across Snape's face, but he avoided eye contact, and continued working. Lupin straightened and gave Sirius a warning scowl, "Sirius."

"I always thought it was cute when she had a crush on Moony… of course _he_ had the decency to tell her he was too _old_." Sirius muttered.

"Black, I'm warning you!" Lupin snapped.

Sirius gave Lupin a playful smirk, "Of course… he's always had a thing for our women, hasn't he, Moony? First Lily and now Tonks."

Sirius grinned as both men froze; Lupin looked at Snape for a moment before turning to Sirius, "Well at least he isn't a mean-spirited _deviant_! You're only upset because before long you may have a cousin with his last name! Now, as I have said; _now is not the time_!"

Sirius chuckled and shook his head, showing that he was finished, and Snape didn't say a word, although he was holding back a very satisfied smirk.

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The twin made his way to his sister, scowling when Harry half-rose from the sand, "Take it easy, Potter; I'm not here for you." he muttered, sitting beside Ginny.

"He tried to apologize earlier and… he hasn't said anything since. I think he's in shock." Ginny said thoughtfully.

"Yeah well I'd venture a bet that Neville's in a bit more shock than him at this point." George shot before he could stop himself.

Ginny looked at him sadly for a moment before leaning against him, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about us sooner."

"It should be me who's apologizing." George said, taking her hand in his and patting it, "There must be something I've done in the past to make you feel you couldn't talk to me about something like this."

"I didn't think I could tell anyone; it was Neville who told Snape, and I only told Hermione when we were picking fruit alone." Ginny answered, "Why aren't you with Fred? All of this sibling bonding is making me uncomfortable."

George smiled and nudged her, "I suppose you do need some time… well sort of alone." he said with a glance at Harry.

"I think he's safe to have around." Ginny said.

George rose, "Get some sleep." he said, ruffling his hair as he left.

Ginny gave him a look of false annoyance as she straightened her hair, "I can't wait to get somewhere with a hairbrush." she said to Harry.

Harry stared at her through his shaggy bangs for a moment before turning back to the small hole he had dug in the sand, remaining silent. Ginny was truly annoyed this time, and she sighed, "First Charlie and now you? Isn't anyone going to talk to me?"

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Fred wrapped a comforting arm around Angelina as she spoke, "It's going to be alright."

"I know but… just thinking about your brother _killing_ someone; it just gives me the creeps, Fred. That could have been any of us out there. What if Ron decides he doesn't like you, or me? We could all be in danger." Angelina sighed.

"It's good that you're comforting her." George shot as he approached, "You remember that one little redheaded girl down the beach? Our sister? Did you know she's pregnant and the boy responsible was just murdered? I ask because here you sit with a girl we play _sports _with treating her as if she were more important!"

"Easy!" Fred defended, "I'm just helping Angelina."

"You want her to end up like Neville? You think if you shag her that Ron won't do the same thing?!"

Angelina burst into tears and Fred's face turned red with anger, "You're being ridiculous!" he shouted, jumping to his feet.

"YOUR SISTER IS OVER THERE DYING INSIDE AND ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY IS YOU'RE HELPING ANGELINA?!" George demanded, "YOU'RE A RIGHT FOWL GIT YOU KNOW THAT?!"

Fred threw the first punch, and George took it; his head snapped to the side and when he returned his gaze to his brother, it was dangerous and threatening, "I saw mum die, Fred, while you were snogging this cow."

"George." Fred growled.

"I saw her bleed to death in dad's arms; I know why he left us! I know why he stayed!" George was forced to stop as a sob strangled him and he cleared his throat, "And just because you don't understand doesn't me you can ignore Ginny and me!"

"You know we grew apart, George. I've just accepted it." Fred said.

"No, _you_ grew apart." George spat, "I was with our entire family except for you and Ron and all I could think about was you; you were with a _friend_ and all you could think about was getting her skirt off. Hit me again if you want to, but it's me or her, Fred. You're _twin_, or our _teammate_."

Fred stared at his twin for a moment before slowly sitting down, taking Angelina's hand. George's face turned red and he nodded, "Well then… I'm leaving, for good."

Fred opened his mouth to protest, but his brother quickly left the beach, disappearing into the forest.

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Goyle chewed his bottom lip as he stared out into the jungle; he strained to hear footsteps as he awaited the return of Draco and Viktor. When the blonde boy finally arrived in the clearing, Goyle's heart leapt and he rushed to meet him, "Did you find him? Where's Krum?"

"He's taking Weasley to the beach… things will probably get ugly. I'll help keep the blame off of you if you promise not to run off."

Goyle nodded, remaining silent for a second before speaking, "I was wrong."

Draco looked up at the boy, "About?"

"I don't fancy Ginny Weasley."

Draco smiled, "She's alright."

"They're all alright, yeah?"

"Yeah." Draco replied.

Goyle frowned slowly, "Are we alright?"

Draco didn't look at Goyle, but sighed as he stared towards the beach, "Well Greg, I guess we'll see about that. Come on; let's get to the beach before all the good rocks are thrown."

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A/N: Woot! Ok so initially I'd planned to show Ron's return in this chapter but the whole Draco/Goyle conversation just seemed like a good stopping place, which of course means the next chapter will start out all crazy and dramatic. It's almost the fourth of July here so I guess I'll leave on this note: Don't blow yourselves up! If you must, however, I recommend you make sure you have at least one good hand so you can check for my updates! Hehe… anyhow, happy 4th to those of you who celebrate it, and happy early July to those of you who don't! Hope you enjoyed it, and I look forward to reviews! Only two chapters to go!


	6. Somnium Venenum

A/N: Woohoo I made it through the 4th without being on fire! Fireworks are so much fun… but I don't like mosquitoes… they make me cry. I just saw Harry Potter 5! I literally just walked in from the midnight showing! I liked it even there were some discrepancies… did anyone else notice that Lucius was disturbingly hot? I should have had him naked more often in The Zoo . Anyways, this is the second to last chapter of the good ole Island so you should start saying goodbye now to ease the pain. I got a couple of fantastic reviews over the last couple of chapters to the rest of you should get in gear shakes fist I'm cranking out the seventh chapter in like four days so you should reward me with your theories and opinions! I'm as entertained by them as J.K. Rowling herself. Speaking of, I don't own any of these characters or the concept of Muggles, magic or teenage pregnancy. Thanks in advance!

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"GET OFF OF ME!"

Ron struggled to escape Viktor's grip while the others crowded around, save Harry, who sat in his usual spot, digging the hole in the sand. Under Snape's suggestion, they tied Ron to a tree to relieve Viktor, who was looking a bit worse for the wear after dragging the struggling Weasley through the forest. When Ginny pushed her way to the front of the crowd, meeting eyes with Ron, the boy reared back and spat in her face, "TROLLOP!"

Hermione pulled her friend aside, "Ginny are you alright?"  
Ginny wiped her face indignantly and turned to her brother with an air of authority, "Kill him!"

Snape turned as Harry suddenly bolted from the beach, "Potter!" he shouted, before taking off after the boy, Lupin and Sirius at his heels.

Harry led them on a chase through the forest until he came to the cliff where he'd fled from Neville's body. He stood at the edge and turned to the adults as small rocks fell from the unsteady cliff, "Harry." Sirius said gently, "Come down from there!"

Snape could hear Ron's screams of pain from the beach as Harry took another step back, balancing precariously on one foot as his other hung over the ocean. He looked at Snape with pleading eyes, causing the man to step forward slowly, "Potter, don't be foolish."

Harry's eyes rolled back in his head slightly, and turned black as he whispered, "Severus."

Snape took a step back, and turned to Sirius and Lupin, who had the same eyes, and hissed his name just as Harry had. Snape stumbled as he turned from them and ran back to the beach, only to find the others in a similar state; Tonks was at his side in an instant, clawing at him as she whispered his name. Snape closed his eyes and when he opened them the beach was full of adders, black and poisonous, hissing so loudly that it was all he could hear.

He turned away and found himself sitting on the plane; Tonks' was sitting with her head against his shoulder, as she had been, but his name was still coming from somewhere. He glanced up to see Sirius struggling with Lupin, looking directly at him and shouting his name. Snape sprang to action instantly, running forward and grabbing Lupin, shoving him into the bathroom and slamming the small door, "Hold it." he ordered Sirius before rushing to wake Lucius and shout for Percy, "Go hold the door!"

Snape checked once that the door was secure before returning to his seat; he turned to Tonks slowly, "What is the date?"

Tonks rose an eyebrow, "Uh… the 23rd of July I believe." she said, "Why?"

"It isn't the second of August?"

"Not unless I'm missing a week somewhere." Tonks said with a quiet laugh, "Is everything alright up there?"

"Lupin's still a werewolf." Snape replied simply as he rose.

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Neville sighed heavily as Ginny sat beside him crossly, "Come on, Gin. You can't stay mad forever."

Ginny gave him a sour look, looking up when Snape reached their seats, "Yes, Professor Snape?"

He scowled as he leaned over them, "I know that you're pregnant." he said.

Neville turned an alarming shade of purple as he stared at his feet, "How-" Ginny started.

Snape interrupted her with an accusing tone, "_You_, Weasley, are a _chore_!" Ginny paled and Neville, were he a braver man, would have smirked, "And you, Longbottom, straighten up and be a man; you have a responsibility."

Ginny gave Neville a boastful look as Snape turned away, distracted by a frightened voice, "Professor Snape?"

"What is it Granger?" he snapped.

"It's Viktor."

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Viktor writhed in pain beside Hermione, gasping as his one lung struggled to move air. Hermione was gripping his hand, and she nearly refused to move when Snape nudged in-between them. Snape shooed Hermione from her seat and knelt in it, laying a hand on Viktor's chest and listening to his noises of desperation. Snape bristled and shook his head, "He isn't getting any air." he muttered, turning his head, "Nymphadora, love?"

Tonks turned and Snape ignored the twins as they exchanged glances before giving Snape identical curious smirks, "What is it?" Tonks called back to him.

"Get the Muggles." Snape said, having no other option.

Tonks nodded and hurried up to the cockpit, past the three wizards leaning against the door. After a moment a Muggle emerged, and after speaking with Tonks, he grabbed a small box from under his seat and hurried back. Snape turned to him, "He isn't breathing."

"They said this might happen." the Muggle replied, "I'm a paramedic; I can take care of him."

Snape scowled, "Well if you ridiculously oblivious Muggles hadn't shoved a needle into his other lung maybe this wouldn't be happening."

The Muggle ignored Snape, turning back to Tonks, "Tell the pilot we have to land!"

Tonks returned to the cockpit, this time disappearing inside, and not returning. Snape stepped aside as the Muggle retrieved a large hook-shaped object from his bag and a flashlight, ripping Viktor's sweater open and leaning his seat back. Snape backed out of the way as the Muggle tilted Viktor's head back and proceeded to curve the large hollow hook into his mouth and down his throat. Hermione, who had moved to sit beside Ron, buried her face in the redhead's shoulder, and as Ginny did the same to Neville, it was a nod of gratitude that Ron gave the boy, not a glare of jealousy. Snape remained at the Muggle's side until he was certain the man knew what he was doing, and then he returned to his seat just as Tonks returned to her own, closing his eyes and letting his mind drift back to the night at the zoo when he, like the others, had been visited by a ghost from his past.

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It had been close to the time when Tonks made her desperate leap in the footsteps of Katie Bell, and on one of the rare occasions that Severus Snape slept in that monstrous place. He awoke when a bright light shone in his face, and found Lily Potter sitting happily on a rock in front of him, "Good morning, Severus… or… rather good evening."

Snape sat up quickly and shook his head to clear it, "Evans?"

"Oh, Severus." Lily said with a shake of her head, "Aren't we all just a bit too old for that silliness? I know you don't hate me, and so do you."

Snape lowered his head and stared hard at the ground, struggling against emotion that threatened to well up in his heart; a cold hand lifted his chin suddenly and he was staring up into her eyes of Lily, "Lily, I… what happened to you…"

"Even angels can fall, Severus, you are only a wizard. You have done all you can to redeem yourself, and you will do more." Lily assured.

"How could you possibly know that?" Snape muttered bitterly.

"I know what's about to happen to my boy, and that's enough to tell me what you have to do." Lily answered, "You have to protect them, Severus. You have to do anything they ask you to because they need you. Are you listening to this?"

Snape nodded slowly, "If you are certain they'll want my help, I offer it."

"I'm not saying they will ALL ask, but you have to do all you can… and Severus? That little girl over there, she's your second chance."

Snape glanced over to Tonks and wrinkled his nose, but did not argue, "How will I know if… if this really ever happened?"

Lily smiled hauntingly, "When you wake up… wake up when you are called, then you will know. You'll know, and you'll remember this." Lily leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead, disappearing as Snape returned to sleep.

In his seat with Tonks' hand firmly held in his own, Snape smiled, and he remembered, and he knew.

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A/N: Last chapter coming up! Aren't you psyched!? Oh and by the way I'm working in a chapter for what's going on at The Zoo with good ole Mr. Weasley that will be one of the earlier chapters of The Window. Also, before I give you the last chapter of The Island I'll let you know that the third installment will be more light-hearted. If you're looking for something I've written that won't make you want to jump off of a bridge, this may just be it! Of course there will still be some angst, and that oh-so-quirky couple Draco and Greg will still be going at it… take that how you will. Look for the last chapter of The Island over the following week; I'll be a BIT busy, but I shouldn't take more than a week to crank out chapter 7. Thanks for your support!


	7. Liber Insania

Snape jerked awake as Tonks' head collided with his own; she snorted quietly and sat up, "What is it?"

He scowled at her as he rubbed his head, giving the approaching Muggle an even fiercer look to assure that his signal was conveyed properly. The Muggle faltered slightly, but spoke, "We've landed and we're taking the boy into a hospital. It will be alright, and we have an escort waiting for you, but the man in the toilet seems… distressed."

Snape glanced around to see that it was indeed daylight, "Took your time landing, didn't you?" he snapped, "Well, he'll be fine. I'll need some things for-"

"Right, and you'll get them after we return, but we can only take a certain amount with us and we're taking all of the children and the injured, the young woman who's expecting really shouldn't be in the heat either." the Muggle said, "We'll be back for you soon."

Snape stood as the children filed to the front of the plane, leaving himself, Tonks, Sirius and Lucius with Lupin. The quieted moans from the bathroom alerted Snape that Lupin was indeed himself again, "Let's get him out, shall we?" he said to Sirius, walking to the battered door.

Snape pulled the door open slowly and stepped back, raising an eyebrow; behind him, Lucius Malfoy erupted into laughter.

"Thank you, Lucius." the werewolf muttered.

"What's all over you?" Sirius asked with concern, stepping forward.

"Don't touch him!" Tonks cried, pulling Sirius' hand back, "That's toilet water!"

Lucius' face was overtaken with another smile and he burst into laughter once again, "I think my ankle is broken." Lupin said quietly, looking down to where his foot was wedged into the toilet.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked, masking his own grin with a hand over his mouth, "How did this happen?"

Lupin scowled, "Well I suppose I got bored locked in this tiny room and decided my only escape was through the _toilet_!" he snapped.

"The Muggles said they would return soon." Snape said, "Until then I don't suggest that we move him."

"Any chance there's any sort of water source out there?" Lupin asked miserably, shaking his blue-stained hair from his face.

"I'm afraid not, Moony." Sirius said, "I guess we're all stuck where we are until the Muggles get back to help get you out."

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"Severus?"

Snape looked up from the Muggle booklet he was reading with a sour look, "What is it now?"

"Is there any food out there?" Lupin muttered.

Snape stood after a bit of grumbling hesitation; he sought through the small stewardess' closet behind him for a moment before producing a small packet, "Peanuts."

Lupin caught them gratefully and began his struggle with the difficult little packet, "What does that book you're reading say?"

Snape sat back down slowly, "Mostly Muggle nonsense, but I did find a page that confirms the toxicity of that water. However, I'm not certain as to the dangers of simply rubbing it allover yourself."

Lupin flinched as the packet tore open and showered him in peanuts, "It's alright; I've never been one for peanuts. When did the Muggles say they would be back?"

"Well if the sun's position is any indicator I would say about four hours before now." Snape said quietly, "How much longer can you stand?"

"Well, my leg is tired, I won't deny that." Lupin said as he hopped into a more comfortable position and leaned back against the near wall, "But the alternative is much more unbearable."

Snape sighed and looked down the cabin of the plane, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the emergency fire axe at the opposite end, "I'll see what I can do."

"Severus?" Lupin called, leaning as far as he could toward the doorway before wincing as his ankle flared in pain, "What are you doing?"

After an assortment of crashes, Snape returned, dragging an overturned metal box; he pushed it behind Lupin with his foot and turned to pick up a semi-destroyed seat from the plane. He sat it on top of the shelves and dropped the axe to the floor, "There."

Lupin sat on the seat and smiled, leaning back and setting his free foot on the sink, "Thank you, Severus."

"If they don't return soon we may have to use that axe to cut off your leg so that you don't starve." Snape said with an unreadable expression.

"I'll prepare myself for that."

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"Stop it!" Draco hissed, "Before somebody thinks we-"

"Hullo Draco, Goyle." Harry said quietly as he approached them in the hallway, "Find a room yet?"

"We're together in this one." Goyle replied, pointing.

"We just thought it would be safer if we stuck together." Draco snapped, "With Professor Snape still not here we didn't figure we'd get anything if we didn't get it for ourselves."

Harry looked somewhat hurt, but only nodded slowly, "Well I thought I would check; I'm staying with Ron."

As Harry spoke, a girl with dark skin, a native of the area gave Draco a more than friendly smile. The blonde's face twisted in hatred and he spat at her feet; the girl stumbled back and ran down the hall. Harry and Goyle gave Draco twin looks of surprise, "What'd you do that for?" Goyle muttered.

Draco wiped his mouth as if he'd just spat out something terrible, "She deserved it; they _all_ deserve it."

The boy stepped into the hotel room that he shared with Goyle and left the other boys alone in the hallway, "He's been through a lot." Goyle said.

"So have you. You're an orphan." Harry said, "Draco still-"

"Mr. Malfoy won't talk to Draco; he won't even look at him." Goyle said with a shrug, "I suppose I feel alright… how about you, Harry?"

"I was already an orphan." Harry said quietly, "Everything that happened to me happened before this."

Goyle nodded slowly for a moment, "So do you want to go talk to him? I'm… not good with words."

Harry shook his head, "I don't think he wants to see me." he said, patting Goyle on the shoulder as he left.

Goyle took a deep breath and let it out slowly, opening the door.

Draco stood from where he sat on the bed, inhaling sharply and wiping hastily at his eyes, hurrying over to look out the window with his arms crossed. Goyle remained silent, walking to his own bed and sat down to stare at his feet. Draco sighed quietly after collecting himself, "Strange isn't it, Goyle?" he said, "Being dressed properly."

Goyle nodded, then remembered Draco's back was to him and quickly added, "Yes."

Draco turned around slowly and walked back to his bed, "I think I'll go ask how Viktor's doing. Normally I wouldn't care but… his health has direct effect on when we get to leave."

"What are you doing?" Goyle asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"You're acting… like you used to." Goyle said, "Why are you doing that? I thought we were over that."

"We're going home." Draco said.

"We don't have homes; your father won't even talk to you. Do you think he'll let you _live_ with him?" Goyle asked.

"Hogwarts is my home." Draco said, puffing himself up a bit.

"Sure, and what about during Christmas or the summer? How arrogant will you be then? Or when a professor says something you don't like or you get a low mark in potions and nobody cares but Snape." Goyle said, "How will you feel about home then?"

"What do you want me to do, cry?!" Draco demanded as he stood.

"You cry all the time!" Goyle exploded suddenly, "I don't care of you cry; just stop _hiding_ it from me!"

Draco stared at Goyle with his mouth open for a moment before closing it and shaking his head, "You're mad."

Goyle stood instantly, taking up the small remaining space between the beds so that he and Draco stood almost nose to nose, "Whose fault is that!?"

Draco moved to turn away but Goyle grabbed him by the wrist and tugged him forward into a kiss. Draco sank against the larger boy, pulling away as the door opened and wiping his mouth, but not fast enough to avoid being seen, "Well don't stop on my account." Neville said, a hint of rare humor creeping into his voice.

"Don't you knock, Longbottom?" Draco snapped, "What do you want?"

"Sorry, Gin is showering in our room and I knew you wouldn't mind if I used yours." Neville said.

"And _how_ did you know?" Draco asked shortly.

"Well I was going to ask Sirius but I heard you two arguing so I figured you weren't using it."

"We don't mind." Goyle said.

Neville nodded in appreciation and walked into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door, after which calling, "Don't mind me!"

Goyle glanced back to Draco who scowled and walked to the door, "I'm going back to the airplane."

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Snape was beyond furious once the Muggles had finally arrived; anger radiated off of him as they stepped onto the plane and he had to bite his tongue to keep from yelling at them the second they appeared. Two of the Muggles appeared to be paramedics, and another was a woman who seemed very concerned with the plane itself, "I see you've managed to destroy a seat already." she observed aloud.

Remus spoke first, his voice riddled with pain, "It's nothing a little magic won't fix… when we get our wands."

"That's not the only thing." Snape muttered as he glowered at the woman.

"Is there any bleeding?" one paramedic asked Lupin, seeming hesitant to touch him.

"Well considering his foot disappears into a hole in a toilet how do you think we'd be able to tell you that?" Snape growled, "And if he _is_ bleeding the infection will be so bad by now you might as well cut his leg off."

"I think I'll be the judge of that." Remus said, crying out as one of the Muggles eased his foot free.

"We brought everything to set it so we won't have to take you to the hospital." one Muggle said as they sat Lupin on the floor.

"How is Viktor?" Lupin asked.

"Oh, the boy? He's fine; we had to operate and remove some more scar tissue that had been left by his… injury. It was putting a strain on everything in his chest, but he should be fine by tomorrow morning. Your _government_ has sent out someone to pick you up and so you will be remaining in the hotel until they arrive." the small woman said, apparently well briefed on the situation.

"What's this then?" Lupin asked as the Muggles began to wrap his foot.

"Well we didn't exactly expect you to be covered in… we're just going to wrap the ankle and give you crutches until you can go back to the hotel and clean up; when you do we'll fit you with a boot." one paramedic said.

"A boot?"

"Could I be transported back with him or do I have to remain in this hellish Muggle contraption for six _more_ hours?" Snape growled suddenly.

"Let's get them off of the plane before anything _else _happens." the short woman said, exiting quickly.

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"Lupin's going to be alright." Snape said, "If he can learn to walk with that torture device on his foot."

"Have you thought about what you'll do when we get back?" Tonks asked.

"I'll teach, as I always have." Snape said, "More than likely I'll be asked to become Headmaster by the Ministry."

"I suppose it's just something you have to do then." Tonks said, crossing her arms, "I mean, it's not as if there is anyone else to do the job."

"No, Sprout and Flitwick wouldn't be up to it; they're the best qualified in my opinion. We'll need a new Gryffindor house head… and Slytherin." Snape muttered.

"I suppose you'll be taking the Defense Against the Dark Arts job then?" Tonks asked slyly.

Snape scowled, "Of course I will; those children need a teacher who has been on _both_ ends of the dark arts."

"Are you going to hire new Professors?" Tonks asked, "Being Headmaster and all you'll have to do that, right?"

Snape shook his head, "I'm hoping to be able to leave all of that up to the Ministry until permanent plans are put into motion. I only want to keep the school open; some of these children don't have anywhere else to go."

"How long did they say we would be here?" Tonks asked suddenly.

"They're leaving us here for the Ministry." Snape said, "I will send for our wands in the morning. You do remember what yours was, do you not?"

"I'm clumsy, not daft."

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Lupin scowled to himself as he stared up at the ceiling, "No don't come out and check on me I'm doing just _fine_. I love rolling about in the floor." he mumbled, managing to roll to a sitting position while down the hall a door opened slowly.

"Uh… Professor Lupin?"

"It's just Lupin, Neville. I'm hardly a professor anymore." Lupin said as he struggled to stand.

"What are you wearing, sir?" Neville asked.

"The Muggles called it a walking boot, but I can assure you that walking is hardly what I've been doing with it." Lupin muttered, "You seem like a strong boy, Neville; give me a hand."

Neville helped Lupin to his feet and the werewolf hobbled to the wall, leaning against it appreciatively, "Are you going to be alright?" Neville asked.

"Of course." Lupin said, "The Muggles told Severus I would be fine; I was too busy screaming. They didn't give me anything for the pain you see; said it might 'interact with my condition' as if I could up and turn into a werewolf if they gave me any sort of medicine. Muggles are even more stupid about magic when they _try_ to understand it." Lupin rambled as he hobbled down the hallway, Neville walking patiently at his side, "Thank you for listening, my boy; it helps me concentrate."

"I don't mind listening." Neville said, "But I was hoping I could also ask you a few things."

"Go ahead, Neville."

"Well… since Professor Snape talked to us before I suppose you probably know too, that Ginny is pregnant."

Lupin looked at Neville for a long time before speaking, "And you feel you need to ask me about this because it is…"

"Mine."

Lupin flinched visibly and sighed, "Well you will of course have to be equally responsible, Neville; this is, after all _your_-"

"It's not that." Neville interrupted quickly, "I've already made the decision that I will help and… truth be told I'd be happy to marry her, raise our baby, and perhaps when we're older even have more children. It's just that…"

"…you're not sure that's what she wants?" Lupin offered.

Neville nodded, "Yeah, I don't want to… trap her into anything or have it seem like I blame her for what's happened."

"Well perhaps she feels the same way." Lupin said.

"Oh no, she's made it quite clear who she blames." Neville muttered, "I wanted to speak to someone… before I talked to Ginny."

"And you chose me because?"

"Well I'm afraid of Professor Snape." Neville said matter-of-factly, "I don't really know Tonks and Sirius would-"

"Probably try to throw you a party, yes." Lupin said, "Well you should speak with Ginny, and let her know again that you support her and her decisions. You can't _force_ her to love you, Neville."

Neville gave Lupin a slight smile, "Yeah I know; thank you, sir." he said, "Are you alright to walk by yourself?"

"Well if I fall over again I suppose I'll just go to sleep." Lupin replied, "Go on; I'll be fine."

Neville thanked Lupin again and strolled down the hall, a new bit of confidence in his stride.

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George whimpered in his sleep as sweat beaded out on his forehead, "What… what are they saying?"

"One of our children, Arthur," Molly whispered, she stood beside Arthur, and both of their backs were to George as they spoke, "Is not like the others."

"Percy's always has been a bit different, Mollywobbles." Arthur assured gently, "He'll grow out of it."

"Not Percy, dear." Molly said, "Not Percy or Charlie or Ginny or even poor Bill… its George."

Arthur nodded slowly, "Yes… I suppose I've noticed it before. When they were young, and he and Fred tried to force Ron into an Unbreakable Vow I imagined it was in fun, but there was something strange about George that day."

"Have you heard his nightmares, Arthur? He screams and rambles on… and the way he looks at the Muggles. He doesn't hate them; he wants to _be_ them. I thought we would have to tell our children not to be cruel to Muggles after this, not have to… well… there is something very wrong with our boy."

"Mum?" George whispered, "Dad? What are you saying? What do you mean?"

"There's hope yet, Arthur. Tell George he has to stay with Fred… tell him they have to be strong together or they will fall… on either side of the fence and they will fight." Molly said, "Tell him dear; I can't."

"If I don't?"

Molly's words became slow and distorted as if they were playing over stretched audio tape, and her face became dead and frightening, "There is room for one Dark Lord, and not all good will be his enemy."

Arthur turned and looked at his boy with hate, "George!"

"George! George!"

George snapped awake and saw his younger brother staring at him in shock. Percy and Fred were kneeling over someone; they were in the hallway. George leaned close to see, but he did not recognize the person's face until she sat up and moved her hand. Blood poured from Angelina's nose and she wiped it away as she stared at him with wide eyes, "George?"

George looked down at his hands, blood was smeared across the knuckles of his left hand, and he stumbled a few steps away, bumping into Ginny, "There's room for one, George."

"What did you say?!" he demanded, backing away.

"I said there's room for one in my room; Neville's staying with… what happened to your hand?" she asked, "Is that Angelina?!"

George spun around as the hallway began to blur, and he caught sight of Lucius Malfoy stepping from his room; the blonde's face was a mix of understanding and disgust as he turned away, and George fainted.

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A/N: Well there you have it. I know it raised a few more questions than it answered but I suppose you won't be _too_ terribly confused. The last paragraph was a hint of things to come far in the future, but not something you should understand too much just now. Thank you all and look for The Window soon! I'll have it up by Thursday the 19th!


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